Page 104 of Tears of Gold

I grumble under my breath about cocky asses and increase the dosage. The rogue adds a shield on his second arm. He moves fast, deflecting my qi blasts nimbly.

“More,” Erritt calls.

I swear under my breath and roll out bigger blasts. Each hit drives Harper back a step. The fragrant scent of sweat rolls off him in thick waves now, as well as the hot, sandy smell that wafts from his qi. A desert creature? There are plenty of deserts on Fadoza. One of the reasons I’ve never been interested in traveling there. Well, truthfully, I’ve never been interested in leaving Exerin-Mi.

Distracted, too much power slips my control. I call it back a fraction too late, and the force sends Harper soaring. Erritt flashes below him and breaks his fall, leaving both of them skidding on the grass.

I run over. “Shit. Sorry!”

Harper grins at me. “Wasn’t this the point?”

Glaring at them both, I ask, “Enough for you, Erritt?”

Erritt rests his hand on Harper’s arm. His lips purse. “Interesting. You’ve been using your qi nonstop for about fifteen minutes, and yet your reserve is only half gone.”

“What?” My irritation fades, and I grab Harper’s other arm. For someone with such a small pool of qi, he should be nearly tanked.

“What is this, a peep show?” Harper grumbles, trying to shake us loose.

“What’s that?” I ask.

He flushes. “Never mind.”

Embarrassment flows through him, and I get the idea it’s a sexual thing. I hold back a grin—probably something I want to learn about in detail later. Touching him brings me a more accurate picture of his qi. As Erritt said, he still has plenty in the bag.

“Keep going then,” Erritt instructs.

I make eye contact with Harper, who shrugs. “I guess he’s the boss. Fine by me.”

Erritt rises. “How big can you make your shields?”

Harper squints at Erritt. “You’re trying to drain me?”

A sly smile curves Erritt’s lips. “Maybe. Turn up the heat, Skye, if you can. Else I’ll do it.” He meets my eyes, daring me to continue going easy on the rogue.

Grumbling to myself about princes who think too highly of themselves, I form up my silver qi. If Erritt really wants to drain his qi, direct contact will be the most effective.

“Guard yourself seriously,” I warn.

Instead of firing at Harper, I close with him, striking hard with a solid qi form that glitters against his pink barrier. His arm muscles bulge as he holds me at bay, barely, his shields crackling under the pressure of my power. He backs up a step, grunting with effort. I swing out my other hand, forming a second attack and punching it against his shields, bringing us body to body.

“Don’t let go,” I warn. “If I slip here, it’s bad news.”

He nods, brown eyes hooded in concentration. He uses his body strength to supplement his weaker qi power, pushing back against the force I drop on him. Come to think of it, Harper’s never shied away from danger. He may be hotheaded sometimes, but he’s as brave as they come.

I settle my thoughts, concentrating on the feel of his qi against mine. I can’t let my focus slip this time—we’re too close.

Harper gives in to his instinct to deflect my attacks, shoving me sideways. I pivot around and strike again. From the smell of his sweat and instinctual fear, he’s tiring fast. I retract a little of my power.

He kicks me in the shin. “Go easy on me, and I’ll put salt in your dinner.”

Bastard knows my weakness. “See what happens if you do,” I growl.

He grins, and I double down on my attack, striking his shields repeatedly. Harper stumbles and falls backward, still keeping his defensive qi between us, determined but weakening.

“Erritt?” I grumble.

My hyper instincts send my raw qi streaming sideways just as Harper’s shields flicker. I fall on top of him, and we’re showered in dirt as my released qi explodes into the ground beside us. For a second, I freeze, worried I might not have been quick enough.